Power-driven can opener



Oct. 13,1925. 1,556,943

' 'W. F. LINSTEDT POWER DRIVEN CAN OPENER Filed Feb. 28, 192i Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

WILLIAM LI'N'STEZDT, F PLYMOUTH, WISGQNSIN.

BOWER-DRIV CAN' OBENER.

Application filed February 28, 1924 Serial 3:10, 695,817.

T 0 all whom itmazg concern Beit known thatI, lVILLIAM Fulnns'rnnr, a citizen of the United States,,residing at Plyn'iouth, in the county of Sheboygan nd State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Power- Driven Can Openers, of which the followin is a specification.

This invention relates to power driven can openers and particularly to a machine having power operated means for holding and rotating a can, while a rotary knife operated by said power means severs the top portion therefrom.

An object of the invention is to provide a support of suitable form mounting a rotatable can receiving head, with which is associated a rotatable cutting member, each having suitable connections with a source of power carried by the frame, adapted to be rotated relative to one another for severing the top of a can from the body portion thereof.

1,-nother object of the invention resides in roviding a can opener wherein a (rotata le can receiving member, and an as sociated rotatable cutting member mounted on a frame for a limited relative movement to receive a can, the relative 1novement of the can receiving member to the cutting member permiting the movement of said member toward the cutting member by a manually operated lever, to force a cooperation between said members, so that the cutting blade will sever the top portion of the casing from the body.

The invention also comprehends other objects and improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts which are more clearly pointed out in the following description and claims directed to a preferred form of the invention, it being understood, however, that variations in the arrangement and specific construction of these-parts may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings, forming a. part of this application Figure 1 is a side elevation of a can opener forming the subject of this invention, mounted on a table or the like.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the invention as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 1 is a detail sectional view taken on the line l& of Figure 2.

1 indicatesa table, such as that used in a rights l being formed with bearings for receiving the power shaft 6, which is rotatably mounted in the bearing. One end of the shaft adjacent one ofthe uprights 4 is provided with a disc 7, receiving an operating handle 8, by whichthe shaft -may be rotated, or if desired, abelt from a suitable motor or any other suitable-source of ,power may be passed over the periphery of the disc 7. Theother upright 4 is provided with pairs of aligned vertical projections 9 and .10 respectively, the projections Qbeing spaced fronrthe upper ends of the uprights,

while the projections 10 are at the lower end thereof. j

Projections 9 and "10 are formed adjacent the uprights 4, witlrbearingsfor a cutter shaft 11 extending vertically throngh the projections and rotatable in the bearing, and provided at the upper end with a bevelled gear 12 meshing with a corresponding bevelled gear 13 on the end of the power shaft 6. The lower end of the cutter shaft below the pair of projections 10 is provided with a cutter head 14 carrying the annular cutting blade 15. A

A member 16 is pivoted at 17 between the pair of projections 9 and is provided with lateral extensions from the upper smaller ends thereof as indicated at 18, forming bearings for rotatably receiving a shaft 19, provided at theupper end with a spur gear 20 meshing with a spur gear 21 mounted on the cutter shaft 11 adjacent the bevelled gear 12, for rotating the shaft 19 in a direction opposite to the cutter shaft 11 for a. purpose which will presently appear. The lower end of the shaft 19 projects below the end of the member 16, and is provided wit-h a head 22 having an annular can receiving flange 23, on the lower free end thereof which is positioned slightly above the annular cutting member 15 carried by the head 14:. The lower end of the member 16 is freely movable between the projections 10 and is engaged by the hand lever 24f pivotally mounted at 25 between the outer ends of the projection 10, the ends of said lever being adapted to engage the member 16 in order to force the head 22 toward the cutter head 14. A spring member 26 is positioned between the uprights l and the member 16 and adapted to normally force the member 16 outwardly on its pivot 17, to move the head 22 away from the cutting head 14.

In the operation or use of this machine for cuttin the tops from the cans, the end of the can which is usually provided with an upwardly projecting flange beyond the end wall thereof, as clearly indicated in Figure l, is positioned so that the flange will project upwardly beyond the flange 23 of the can receiving member or head 22 so that the former will engage the inner edge of this flange of the can, the lower face of the plate seating against the end wall of v -the can body. Upon the rotation of the operating shaft 6, a corresponding rota-ting movement will be imparted to the shafts 11 and 19 for rotating them in opposite directions as above described, and at which time, a movement of the lever 2 f about its pivot will force the member 16 inwardly toward the upright 4, so that the plate 23 will force the can toward the cutting head 14 so that the annular cutting member 15 will out the can in the rotation thereof slightly below the end as clearly shown in Figure 4, the operator holding the body of the can below the cutter and removing it as soon as one complete rotation has been completed, which is sufficient for severing the top of the can from thebody.

From the above description, it will be clearly seen that a simple and novel form of power driven can opener has been provided, wherein the upper end of the can body may be quickly severed from the main portion thereof in order that the contents of the can may be forced from the can.

lVhat is claimed is:

A can opener including a frame havin uprights, a. power shaft rotatably mountec in said uprights, one of said uprights having upper and lower pairs of projections, a cutter shaft rotatable in said project-ions adjacent the uprights, a cutter head having an annular cutting blade mounted on the lower end of said cutter shaft, a power transmitting connection between the upper end of the cuttter shaft and the power shaft, a member pivoted between the upper projection and movable between the lower projections, a shaft rotatably mounted in said member having driving connections with said cutter shaft for rotating said shaft in a direction opposite to said cutter shaft, a can receiving head mounted on the lower end of said last mentioned shaft, an operating lever pivotally mounted between said lower projection for moving said member toward the cutter head, whereby the can will be forced by said can receiving head against the annular cutting blade of'tlie cutter head for severing the end of the can from the body thereof in the rotation 'of said shaft and a spring interposed between said one upright and said pivoted member for exert-ing an awkward stress on the lower end of the member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM F. LINSTEDT. 

